April 28, 2010

Print Is Dead?

One of the pointless arguments you see in the blogosphere, on twitter, and in trade journals, is one where folks debate whether "print is dead". You'll read a quote from a trade journal author saying something like "... nobody told Brand X that print is dead, they just executed a print campaign and plan on doing more ...". And on the other side, you'll read something like "... the advent of the iPad will hasten the demise of print."

Both comments are just empty, unactionable sound bytes, right?

As you already know, print as it existed in 1995 is completely dead. It's been dead for a decade. Thirty million households have moved beyond print.

As you already know, there is a subset of your audience that loves print. To this subset of your audience, print isn't dead, print is the way you shop. Thirty million households rely upon print.

So why not simply manage reality as profitably as possible? Why not send your print-based campaigns to those who desire them, why not send nothing to the customers who could care less?

This isn't a new concept. It is a concept that doesn't seem to gain the traction necessary to please customers.

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Kevin Hillstrom, President, MineThatData

Kevin is President of MineThatData, a consultancy that helps CEOs understand the complex relationship between Customers, Advertising, Products, Brands, and Channels. Kevin supports a diverse set of clients, including internet startups, thirty million dollar catalog merchants, international brands, and billion dollar multichannel retailers. Kevin is frequently quoted in the mainstream media, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, and Forbes Magazine.

Prior to founding MineThatData, Kevin held various roles at leading multichannel brands, including Vice President of Database Marketing at Nordstrom, Director of Circulation at Eddie Bauer, and Manager of Analytical Services at Lands' End.

You may contact kevin at kevinh@minethatdata.com.

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